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Today, HRC announced that PepsiCo will receive the HRC Corporate Equality Award at the 2017 HRC Greater New York Gala on Saturday, February 11, 2017, at the Waldorf Astoria in New York City. The award recognizes Pepsico’s exceptional commitment to equality for the LGBTQ community.

“PepsiCo is a longtime leader in LGBTQ workplace equality,” said Deena Fidas, director of the HRC Workplace Equality Program. “Through inclusive corporate policies and practices that embrace the strength of diversity, PepsiCo continues to demonstrate a steadfast commitment to supporting its LGBTQ employees. We are thrilled to recognize PepsiCo’s outstanding leadership with the HRC Corporate Equality Award.”

PepsiCo has consistently earned a perfect score of 100 for several years on the HRC Foundation’s Corporate Equality Index (CEI) – the national benchmarking tool on corporate LGBTQ-inclusive policies and practices. PepsiCo is a long-term supporter of LGBTQ equality, and the company is also an inaugural member of the groundbreaking Business Coalition for the Equality Act – a group of leading U.S. employers supporting federal legislation that would provide clear, consistent protections for LGBTQ people by prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity in employment, housing, access to public places, federal funding, credit, education, and jury service. Executives from PepsiCo have also used their public platforms to speak out against deeply discriminatory anti-LGBT state laws, including in Mississippi and North Carolina.

“At PepsiCo, we are guided by a basic principle: when we respect one another and embrace the uniqueness that each of us brings to the table, we succeed,” said Tony West, executive vice president, Government Affairs, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary and executive sponsor of EQUAL, PepsiCo’s LGBTQ employee resource group. “Our persistent effort is to foster an environment where people can not only come to work and have a rewarding professional life, but also see their personal values reflected in the workplace they’ve chosen. Supporting our LGBTQ associates is an important part of our overall commitment to diversity and inclusion.”

“On behalf of the HRC Greater New York Gala Committee, we are excited to award PepsiCo the 2017 Corporate Equality Award,” said Lauren Verrusio, co-chair of the HRC Greater New York Gala. “Time after time, PepsiCo continues to prove their commitment to their LGBTQ employees and an inclusive and diverse workplace. The company’s support of federal legislation that would provide commonsense, non-discrimination protections for the LGBTQ community is also further evidence of that commitment.”

The Greater New York Gala is one of HRC’s most prestigious events of the year, attracting more than 1,000 of the organization’s most active leaders, supporters, and members. The event regularly draws political officials from federal, state, and local governments, as well as celebrity entertainers and leaders in the business community. To purchase tickets for the #HRCGreaterNY gala, learn more about the event, ways to volunteer, and more, please visit www.HRCGreaterNY.org

The Human Rights Campaign is America’s largest civil rights organization working to achieve equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people. HRC envisions a world where LGBTQ people are embraced as full members of society at home, at work and in every community.